Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Spoils of Eden

The Spoils of Eden
Linda Lee Chaikin
Moody Publishers
May 2010

Birds of Paradise bend towards the sunlight, pungent coffee beans grow wild up the mountain side and pineapples, heavy with juice, beg to be plucked. It's Hawaii, 1891: tropical paradise. But amidst the balmy weather and crashing waves, secrets lurk in undiscovered corners.
Eden Derrington, fresh out of nursing school, is passionate about her call to help the lepers quarantined on the island Molokai. A work her father, Dr. Jerome, started many years earlier. Eden is also in love. Rafe Easton has had her heart since childhood. Sharing her heart with two men, she realizes a heart cannot be divided. So deciding she must follow her father to Molokai, she puts her engagement on hold with the only man she ever hopes to marry.
When an epidemic breaks out in Rat Alley, Eden is forced to lay her heavy heart on a shelf while she protects the people from the disastrous outbreak that threatens to wipe out the whole island. But while they investigate the source of the outbreak, a lot more than disease is turned up .Kip, Rafe's 'nephew' goes missing, family secrets become unburied, and hidden motives become exposed.
Feeling torn with whom to believe as sides begin to be formed, Eden starts to feel caught in the middle of something much bigger than herself. With a constant longing to be in Rafe's arm, she knows some difficult decisions lay ahead of her. Will she be able to quiet her own thoughts long enough to let the Lord speak His plans into her life?

Having read previous book series by this author, this one so far, isn't my favorite of them. But that's not to say I do not like it. Only having read book one, it took very few pages to remind me that she is still one of my favorite Christian fiction authors. Not only is her historical research impeccable, she also has a way of grabbing the reader, bringing them into the world she is creating. Her story is always intriguing and full of interesting characters. I am always surprised at the twists and turns she weaves through out the book. I am much excited to read the rest of this series!
This book was provided by the publisher for review.
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